Chronic pain in critical care survivors

Chronic pain is an important problem following critical care admission. Estimates of prevalence of chronic pain in the year following discharge range from 14-77% depending on the type of cohort, the tool used to measure pain and the time point when pain was assessed. The majority of data available comefrom studies using health-related quality of life tools,although some have included pain-specific tools. Nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic pain can occur in critical caresurvivors butlimited information about aetiology, body site and temporal trajectory of pain is currently available. Older age, pre-existing pain andmedicalco-morbidity have been associated with pain after critical careadmission. No trials were identified of interventions to target chronic pain in survivors specifically. Larger studies, using pain-specific tools, over an extended follow up period are required to confirm prevalence, identify risk factors, explore anyassociation between acute and chronic pain in this setting, determine underlying pathological mechanisms and inform the development of future analgesic interventions